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What does the new covenant promise according to Jeremiah 31:31?
Saul's disobedience included sacrificing to God in his own way.
True
Who was anointed as king after Saul?
David
David shows that real victory comes through the Lord and his phrase was, 'It is the Lord who will deliver _____.'
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Match the following figures with their actions:
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What does sin primarily deny according to the context provided?
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Humanity's relationship with God is permanently ruined due to sin.
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Who are the two brothers involved in the first murder according to the content?
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The ________ was the sign of the covenant that God made with Noah.
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Match the following figures with their associated covenants:
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What is the condition of the covenant made with Abraham?
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Cain and Abel's rivalry was a direct result of pride and envy.
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What new relationship do people enter into through redemption?
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The prophet __________ wrote during the end of the Babylonian exile and emphasized the concept of the Suffering Servant.
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What was a misconception of the Jewish people regarding the Holy Nation?
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What is the primary goal of theology?
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Revelation is solely based on human experience.
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Who is responsible for ensuring that revelation is transmitted faithfully and without error?
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The two primary sources of revelation are _____ and _____ .
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Which of the following senses of Scripture describes the moral lessons?
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Match the theological concepts with their definitions:
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Christianity is primarily about a relationship with traditions and rituals.
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What is the primary nature of the New Covenant described?
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David directly defeated Goliath through his strength and skill alone.
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What significant action did Saul take that demonstrated his disobedience to God?
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David and Bathsheba's story ultimately emphasizes the need for conversion from ________ and the rejection of sinfulness.
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Match the following biblical figures with their key actions:
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What does theology aim for?
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Humanity is described as having a unique relationship with God in Genesis.
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What are the two sources of revelation?
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Christianity primarily concerns a relationship with _____ .
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Match the following senses of Scripture with their descriptions:
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In what way does Christianity view Eros according to Benedict XVI?
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Conversion in Christianity can be coerced.
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What does sin primarily impact according to the discussed concepts?
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The relationship between humanity and God changes permanently due to sin.
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What was the sign of the covenant made with Abraham?
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The ________ was intended to show that God would not destroy the earth again by flood.
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Match the following covenants with their respective conditions:
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What was a common misconception among the Jewish people regarding the Holy Nation?
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Isaiah is recognized for connecting the Suffering Servant figure with the Jewish understanding of the Messiah.
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Which two brothers experienced rivalry that led to the first murder?
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The concept of redemption in Christianity involves becoming a new ________ in a relationship with God.
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What does Jeremiah prophesy concerning Israel?
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Study Notes
Theology
- Faith seeking understanding is the goal of theology.
- Theology differs from religion or religious studies by focusing on the systematic study and understanding of faith.
Revelation
- Revelation is the process by which God reveals himself to humanity.
- The two sources of revelation are Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
- Religious leaders ensure that revelation is transmitted faithfully and without error.
Sacred Scripture
- God is the author of Sacred Scripture.
- Both God and human authors contribute to the writing of Sacred Scripture.
- Senses of Scripture include:
- Literal: the plain meaning of the text
- Spiritual: understanding the text in light of faith
- Allegorical: understanding the text as a metaphor
- Moral/Tropological: understanding the text in terms of moral lessons
- Anagogical: understanding the text in terms of its ultimate meaning
- The connection between the Old and New Testament is found in the fulfilling of the Old Testament by the New Testament.
- Books like the Gospels describe the earthly life of Jesus.
Christianity as an encounter with a person - Jesus Christ
- Christianity is primarily about a relationship with God.
- Conversion can’t be coerced as an authentic relationship can’t be forced.
- Being a Christian is a calling, not a choice.
- Church (ekklesia) means "called from" or "called out of."
- The Christian God is knowable because the premise of Christianity is that God and humanity can have a relationship.
Christianity and Eros
- Nietzsche believed Christianity poisoned Eros by turning sexuality into a taboo.
- Benedict XVI believed Christianity heals Eros.
- Eros needs to be infused with Agape (selfless love) so that:
- Agape, without connection to the flesh, can lead to stoicism or Gnosticism.
- Eros, in its most primitive form, seeks pleasure.
- Eros, informed by Agape, seeks happiness for others.
Creation
- God is the creator of everything, as recounted in Genesis 1 and 2.
- Humanity has a unique relationship with God that gives them dignity.
- Humans are the only creatures who can know and love God.
- Humanity possesses the capacity for self-knowledge and self-possession.
- Humanity is given dominion over creation.
- Humanity is instructed to flourish and multiply.
- Man and Woman are created as equals and complements.
- Humanity is in a state of Original Justice: harmony in intrapersonal relationships and the relationship between humanity and creation.
The Fall
- Sin occurs through deceit.
- Through deception, humanity believes God is a rival, preventing them from reaching their potential.
- Free will is impacted because deception prevents humanity from fully grasping the good.
- Sin is a denial of God’s goodness.
- The implication of the deceit is that God is not good, and that people must be independent to reach their full potential.
- Sin affects relationships:
- Intrapersonal relationships are marred by rivalry and barriers.
- The relationship between humanity and creation is affected, as the soil becomes difficult to till.
- Scapegoating occurs in these relationships:
- Intrapersonal (Eve gave it to me)
- Human-God (You put her here)
- Human-creation (The serpent tricked me)
- Humanity separates itself from God, but God does not change his stance on humanity.
- Humanity hides from God and feels shame.
- The Fall is a permanent condition.
- Humanity cannot return to the Garden or Original Justice.
Sin Grows/Proliferates
- Cain and Abel demonstrate the movement from pride/envy to murder.
- They are not in harmony despite being brothers.
- Rivalry forms when one sacrifice is preferred over another.
- "Am I my brother's keeper?" is a denial of the responsibility siblings have for each other.
Covenants
- God's redemptive plan is to establish proper relationships.
- Covenants have four features:
- Blessing
- Condition
- Sign
- New relationship
- Humanity breaks covenants, but God remains faithful.
- Each successive covenant offers a greater blessing and relationship.
- Examples of Covenants:
- Noah:
- Blessing: Earth will not be destroyed by flood.
- Condition: Don’t shed another's blood.
- Sign: The rainbow.
- Relationship: Family.
- Abram/Abraham:
- Blessing: Land and descendants.
- Condition: Circumcision.
- Sign: Circumcision.
- Relationship: Tribal nation.
- Moses:
- Blessing: God will be their God, and they will be his people.
- Condition: Follow his ways (commandments).
- Sign: Passover.
- Relationship: Holy nation.
- Noah:
- The Story of the Plagues:
- The plagues expose and disempower pagan gods, revealing Israel's God as the one true God.
- They are not about God being a god of violence but about disempowering false claimants to deity.
- Examples:
- Bloody water: Disempowers Osiris, god of water and vegetation.
- Darkness: Disempowers Ra, the sun god.
- Death of Pharoah's son: Disempowers the notion that Pharoah is a god.
- The People in the Desert:
- They break the covenant.
Prophets
- Isaiah:
- Deutero-Isaiah wrote during the Babylonian Exile.
- The Suffering Servant is a key figure, often associated with Christ.
- The Jewish people did not have consensus on who the Suffering Servant was.
- Deutero-Isaiah condemns idolatry.
- He confronts the Jewish people for adopting pagan ways.
- The Restoration of Israel:
- Isaiah prophesies that God will restore Israel.
- The Jewish people saw this fulfilled when Cyrus conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to return home.
- Redemption:
- Redemption surpasses restoration. It’s not merely returning to a former state, but entering a new relationship.
- In Christianity, redemption involves a new creation in our union with Christ.
- The path to redemption requires self-sacrifice.
- Jeremiah:
- Prophesies about the destruction and restoration of Israel.
- The destruction of Jerusalem is represented by Ramah weeping and Rachel mourning.
- This happened in 586 BC (Babylonian Exile).
- Jeremiah foreshadows a new covenant.
- The New Covenant:
- A new covenant is promised that will be unlike the previous ones that were broken.
- This covenant is described as God's Law being written on hearts, rather than stone.
Kings
- The Israelites want a king to be like other nations, refusing the meaning of being a Holy nation.
- Saul becomes the first king.
- Saul disobeys God by:
- Offering sacrifices: Attempting to manipulate God.
- Keeping items: Attempting to incorporate pagan items into the kingdom.
- God declares that Saul's line will not be the royal line.
- David:
- Samuel anoints David as king.
- David is an unexpected choice, showing God sees differently than man.
- David and Goliath:
- The armor represents not being able to rely on another's "armor" in spiritual life.
- David recognizes that he cannot defeat Goliath alone and relies on the Lord.
- David and Bathsheba:
- David commits adultery and murder to cover it up.
- The child born of adultery dies, representing a blessing being taken away.
- This story shows conversion from sin and the rejection of the continuation and proliferation of sinfulness.
Theology
- The goal of theology is faith seeking understanding.
- Theology differs from religion/religious studies because it's an intellectual exploration of faith, while religion/religious studies focus on practice and history.
Revelation
- Revelation is God making himself known to humanity.
- The two sources of revelation are Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
- The Church is responsible for ensuring the faithful and accurate transmission of revelation.
Sacred Scripture
- God is the ultimate author of Sacred Scripture, but human authors were also involved.
- The literal sense of Scripture focuses on the words themselves, while the spiritual sense explores deeper meaning.
- The allegorical sense interprets a story's symbolic meaning.
- The moral/tropological sense draws lessons for ethical living from a story.
- The anagogical sense points to the ultimate end of humanity in heaven.
- The Old and New Testaments are connected through their unified message of salvation.
- The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) describe the earthly life of Jesus.
Christianity as an Encounter with a Person - Jesus Christ
- Christianity is primarily about a relationship with God.
- Conversion is not forced, as an authentic relationship cannot be coerced.
- Being a Christian is not a choice but a calling, "called from" the world into relationship with God.
- The Christian God must be knowable because the whole premise of Christianity is the possibility of a relationship between God and humanity.
Christianity and Eros
- Nietzsche believed Christianity poisoned Eros, turning sexuality into a taboo.
- Benedict XVI argued that Christianity heals Eros by infusing it with Agape (love for God and neighbor).
- Agape, when void of a connection with the flesh, can lead to stoicism or Gnosticism.
- Eros, in its most primitive form, seeks pleasure for oneself.
- Informed by Agape, Eros seeks happiness for others, the beloved.
Creation
- Genesis 1 and 2 reveal key theological truths about creation.
- God created everything.
- Humanity has a unique relationship with God that gives them dignity, enabling them to know and love their Creator.
- Humanity has dominion over creation and is instructed to flourish and multiply.
- Man and woman are created as equals and complements.
- Humanity exists in a state of Original Justice, characterized by harmony in interpersonal relationships and humanity's connection with creation.
The Fall
- Sin happens in the context of deceit, tricking humanity into seeing God as a rival holding them back from their potential.
- The fall impacts free will, the faculty to choose good. Deceit hinders a full comprehension of the good.
- Sin is a denial of God's Goodness.
- The deceit implies that God is not good.
- Sin affects relationships:
- Intrapersonal relationships are marred, leading man and woman to see each other as rivals and set up barriers.
- Humanity's relationship with creation is impacted, making the soil difficult to till.
- Scapegoating becomes a prevalent state of affairs in relationships.
- Humanity separates itself from God, hiding and feeling shame.
- The fall is permanent, preventing humanity from returning to the Garden and Original Justice.
Sin Grows/Proliferates
- The story of Cain and Abel exemplifies the progression from pride and envy leading to murder.
- Cain and Abel, despite being brothers, lack harmony, offering separate sacrifices.
- Rivalry arises when one sacrifice is chosen over another, highlighting the "scandal of particularity."
- Cain's question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" reflects a denial of the responsibility brothers have for one another.
Covenants
- God's redemptive plan aims to establish proper relationships.
- Covenants have four features: blessing, condition, sign, and new relationship.
- While humanity breaks covenants, God remains faithful and committed.
- Each subsequent covenant offers a greater blessing and establishes a deeper relationship.
Noah
- Blessing: Never again will the earth be destroyed by flood.
- Condition: No one is to shed the blood of another human being.
- Sign: Rainbow.
- Relationship: Family.
Abram/Abraham
- Blessing: Land and descendants.
- Condition: Circumcision.
- Sign: Circumcision.
- Relationship: Tribal Nation.
- Abraham and Sarah's attempts to "help" God fulfill his promise highlight human limitations.
- Ishmael, born to Hagar, is not the promised son, but Islam traces its roots through him.
- Isaac, born to Sarah, becomes the promised descendant.
Moses
- Blessing: I will be your God, you will be my people.
- Condition: Follow my ways (commandments).
- Sign: Passover.
- Relationship: Holy Nation.
- The Jewish people initially misunderstood the concept of a Holy Nation, viewing it in terms of political power rather than spiritual relationship.
- The plagues highlight the disempowerment of pagan gods, revealing the God of Israel as the one true God.
- The story in the desert exposes the Israelites' covenant-breaking.
Prophets
- The prophets spoke on behalf of God, addressing social injustice and calling for repentance.
Isaiah
- Deutero-Isaiah wrote during the Babylonian exile, introducing the Suffering Servant.
- Christians connect this figure with Christ, both the Messiah and the Suffering Servant.
- The Jewish people did not have a consensus on the identity of the Suffering Servant, who would not have been associated with the Messiah, traditionally seen as a victorious king.
- Isaiah condemns idolatry, exposing it as a human creation, not of God.
- He confronts the Jewish people for adopting pagan ways.
- Isaiah predicts God's restoration of Israel, fulfilled in a political sense when Cyrus conquered Babylon.
- He differentiates "restoration" from "redemption," which involves a new relationship with God, a renewed creation.
Jeremiah
- Jeremiah prophesizes both the destruction and restoration of Israel.
- He foretells the fall of Jerusalem and the mourning of the Jewish people, a fulfillment in 586 BC during the Babylonian Exile.
- He promises a new covenant, unlike the broken ones of the past, where God's law will be written on people's hearts.
- This new covenant emphasizes knowing and forgiving God.
- God's response to sin is mercy, a new covenant.
Kings
- Israel's desire for a king like other nations negated the concept of being a Holy Nation.
- Saul becomes the king, but disobeys God by offering sacrifices and keeping pagan items, attempting to manipulate and integrate God into his own terms.
- God declares that Saul's line won't be the royal line.
- Samuel anoints David as king – a divinely chosen leader seemingly unfit based on human standards.
- In the story of David and Goliath, David's use of his own armor is significant. He recognizes his limitations and depends on the Lord for victory.
- The story of David and Bathsheba highlights the consequences of adultery and murder. David's sin is not simply punished, but his adulterous and murderous ways are halted to prevent their proliferation.
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Description
Test your understanding of key concepts in theology, including the nature of revelation and the significance of Sacred Scripture. Explore the different senses of Scripture and their implications for understanding faith. Perfect for students of theology and religious studies.
